The Code of Chivalry and Other Values

The Code of Chivalry:
Be true to your faith
Stand up for your beliefs
Defend the weak
Love your craft
Show courage against opposition
Oppose Evil
Speak true and keep your word
Be kind and generous to all

Tribal Values:
Honor: Keep your word
Loyalty: Faithfulness in the support of your own
Integrity: Walking your talk
Resourcefulness: Be prepared for every situation
Honesty: Don't lie, cheat or steal
Respect: Listen to others and consider their words
Reverence: Honoring that which is sacred
Fairness: Be just to all
Reciprocity: What ye send out comes back to thee, threefold
Interdependence: cooperate with all
Responsibility: Accept the consequences of your actions



A Witch or Wizard Should:
Be a constant student of life
See the divine in nature and nature in the divine
Not say a word and be clearly heard
Have a spirit that glows in the dark
Lead without force and teach without pride
See the God and Goddess within all
Open their inner eyes and really see
Speak to the God and Goddess and know they are heard
Maintain a calm center and clear mind in chaos
Call the plants and animals of the wild allies
Say "I don't know" and realize that is great power
Have compassion for all, but know when to be a witness
Never follow another blindly
Sense magic in the mundane, and open that window for others
Know that the secrets of magic are bestowed upon the openhearted
Know the power and strength of of a swift mind
Love the beauty of paradox, and see the cosmic humor in all
Stare into the infinity of the sky and feel it as an awesome source

Methods of Spell Casting

Just as there's an art to baking a cake, there's an art to casting a spell. When a witch performs a magic spell, they designs a series of thoughts and actions that will bring about a condition in the visible world. A spell might include images, words, movements, and/or objects, but the most important “ingredient” is the witch's will. When you cast a spell, you connect with the creative force that abides in the universe. You serve as a conduit for that force. You're the catalyst that produces a result. The basic steps to casting an effective spell are as follows:

1. Decide if it is casual or formal
2. Choose the appropriate moon phase
3. Assemble your equipment
4. Get in the right frame of mind
5. Create the right environment
6. Cleanse your ritual area
7. Cast your circle
8. State the intention of your work
9. Direct your power and cast the spell
10. Ground yourself and close your circle

Wiccan spell casting techniques always teach that one should clear his or her conscience before working with any kind of spells. You should not give shelter to any kind of negative vibes, desires or trepidation while working with the spells. Since Wiccan spells have got to do with positive energies, the workings of these spells get highly meddled if any of your negative emotions come in between. The results can never be satisfactory if the positive energies involved are disturbed.

To understand how spells work, it is necessary to understand the concept of “sympathy” and what's known as the Law of Similars. Sympathy, in a magical sense, means that a designated item, when properly used, has the power to affect something or someone because of the symbolic relationship between the item and the target of the spell. The Law of Similars states that there is a divine fingerprint in nature that gives clues to an item's spiritual function. For example, red plants can be used in magical cures for blood problems. A heart-shaped leaf might be a component of a love spell. A phallus-shaped stone could be utilized in a spell for male virility.

Wiccans subscribe to a few general guidelines that constitute morally responsible spells. Here are the basic spellcraft “don'ts.”

• Don't design a spell that might harm another person or interfere with his free will.
• Don't cast a spell that includes components or methods that violate your own personal taboos or ethics.
• Don't work with languages or symbolic items that you don't fully understand.
• Don't do spells if you are ill, angry, or otherwise off-center, as this can affect the outcome dramatically.

If you follow these simple guidelines, you'll avoid the problems, pitfalls, and unpleasant ramifications that can sometimes accompany spell-casting.

Lastly it is always advisable to prepare the appurtenances that are required for the spell by you to yield best results. By producing them all by you, will ensure that your true passions and feelings are playing a dominant role during the spell casting technique. If that is not possible then ensure that you are using fresh things, which have not been used by any other person before you.

Circle Form and Etiquette

• A ritual is not a spectator sport
• A ritual is like a religious service
• A ritual need not be solemn
• The best rituals are those that seem spontaneous
• Ritual objects and tools are infused with power
• Once the circle is cast, enter or exit only at great need
• Arrive on time. 
• When invited to attend a private ritual, it is not OK to bring along an uninvited person
• Turn off your beeper and cell phone.
• Do not take pictures.
• There is usually open flame at a Circle. Be aware lest you set yourself on fire. If someone else sets themselves on fire, it is not part of the ritual. Put them out.
• Stay till the Circle is opened. Do not crash out early.
• Afterwards, ask questions about the meaning of what you saw and did.
• Later, do not tell outsiders who else was at the Circle. Do not greet publicly someone you see again with reference to the Circle gathering. Respect their privacy. Persecution really does happen.

Now if you’re working as a solitary, you could argue that it doesn't matter about manners because you’re the only one in the circle. Well, let’s blow that idea out of the water straight away. You’re not the only one in the circle at all. The elemental quarters are there with you and even more importantly, so is the Lord and Lady. Why else are you holding the circle? Would you be on your best behaviour if someone important came to share your home with you? Probably. Well that’s exactly what the Gods and Goddesses are doing. They’re sharing your circle with you and in fact the main reason you should have cast it in the first place was to honour them, and that means being on your best behaviour and minding your circle manners.

During ritual there are two vital components to making sure the rite accomplishes its purpose; maintaining the right atmosphere and properly completing any special actions, recitations or dialogue that has been planned. A person who doesn't know the basic rules can easily do something that breaks the concentration of others, or may themselves miss a cue or instruction. The consequences of hampering the work vary depending on the group involved. The offender will annoy others and impair the enjoyment, satisfaction and resolution they might have achieved. If the ritual is being conducted for a specific magical purpose, the work could be thoroughly derailed and the intentions completely or partially fail. In some of the more serious forms of ceremonial magic and shamanic work, disruption could be downright dangerous.

Hopefully, anyone who is attending a circle respects the people who are conducting it and has reverence for the deities involved. Failing to observe basic etiquette is disrespectful to both. Whatever you may think of the words, images and actions chosen by the organizers they have undoubtedly put a lot of time and effort into them and it is only proper to acknowledge that. As for being rude to deities... this is not recommended!

Once the circle is cast, the line of the circle must be regarded as a temple wall. You can't walk through the walls of a church, and you shouldn't walk through the circle. Exceptions can be made in special circumstances, in which case the officiating priestess cuts a 'door' for a person to exit and enter, then closes it when their task is completed. Walking through the circle without this preparation is not just rude, it can seriously disrupt the concentration and energies of the other participants. In some rites it would be downright dangerous. So, once the circle is cast around you, you are committed to remaining in it for the duration of the ritual. It is not possible to enter a circle, and then leave whenever you feel like it. Leaving the circle without the priestess' permission and co-operation is not like sneaking out of the church door during a boring sermon, it is more like taking a sledgehammer and banging a hole in the wall in order to leave.

A Wicca Altar Is . . .

• A focal point and container for magical energies.
• A reminder of your ideals.
• An echo of your beliefs and wishes.
• A Home for the Divine.

A Wiccan altar is typically a piece of furniture (a tree stump is also used), such as a table or chest, upon which a Wiccan practitioner places several symbolic and functional items for the purpose of worshiping the God and Goddess, casting spells, and/or saying chants and prayers. Upon the altar typically rests a cloth, used to protect the surface from damage by candle wax, spilled liquid, or dust from burnt incense. This cloth is often adorned by a pentacle, or other spiritual symbol. An altar may be as simple or complex as you chose.

Simple altar

Complex altar

Common items on a Wiccan altar include:

• Athame- a ceremonial dagger, with a double-edged blade and usually a black handle
• Broom- used to cleanse the ritual area before circle casting
• Candles- used on the altar to represent the presence of the God and Goddess, and in the four corners and center of a ritual circle to represent the presence of the five elements: Fire, Earth, Air, Water and Spirit
• Chalice- is often used in combination with the Athame, combining the two evokes the act of procreation, as a symbol of universal creativity
• Incense- is a powerful way to let your intent be known
• Pentacle- generally used to summon energies, also represents the joining of the five elements
• Wand- is used to channel and direct energy

Some of the items represent the Earth's five elements, but elements may be represented more literally, with gems, salt, water, plant material, etc.